Details of Discussed Kristaps Porzingis to the Raptors Deal Emerge

The Toronto Raptors could have traded Goran Dragic to the Dallas Mavericks for Kristaps Porzingis, but the contract was too much for the Raptors to take on

Aaron Rose | Feb 11, 2022

Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

A Kristaps Porzingis to the Toronto Raptors deal may have been closer than it initially seemed.

The Dallas Mavericks were reportedly working the phone lines late Wednesday night and into Thursday morning as they searched for a team to take on Porzingis and his max contract. Prior to sending the 7-foot-3 big to the Washington Wizards for Spencer Dinwiddie and Davis Bertans, the Mavericks reportedly discussed a deal with Toronto that would have involved Goran Dragic, salary filled and a future first-round pick, ESPN's Bobby Marks said on The Lowe Post podcast.

"Originally I thought Porzingis was going to go to Toronto," Marks said. "That was my original thought just talking to people on Wednesday night that it was going to be a Porzingis, Dragic, and then kind of salary filler, and future one, and it was just going to be a salary dump for Dallas."

Raptors general manager Bobby Webster said the team looking at a number of different options leading up to Thursday's trade deadline including some major deals that would have taken on long-term money. One idea was moving Dragic's contract to a team looking to get off what they considered to be a bad contract. The problem for Toronto was just the length of Porzingis' deal.

"There were some options to take on additional money. Ultimately, those deals fell through, and then, a couple of other examples, the money went out so far it was sort of risky so we walked away from those," Webster said following the deadline.

Toronto appeared willing to take on a contract through next season, but with Gary Trent Jr. and Fred VanVleet expected to hit free agency following next year, any significant salary on the books could have caused financial issues moving forward.

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